


demoniac.

by beneathstarryskies



Category: Ash vs Evil Dead (TV), Evil Dead (Movies), Evil Dead - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Deadites, Demonic Possession, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character Death(s), Slow Burn, ash has survivor's guilt, ash williams is a himbo and thats the tea sis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:08:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23425258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beneathstarryskies/pseuds/beneathstarryskies
Summary: Katherine Avery was bored with her small town life until she finds a bloodied Ash Williams wandering down the side of the road. He inadvertently introduces her to a world which prompts her to question her reality and how far she's willing to go to survive.
Relationships: Ash Williams/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Morristown, TN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine finds Ash on the side of the road.

Katherine Avery doesn’t look forward to summer like most college students do. Summer doesn’t bring about beach days or parties. It certainly never brought much romance aside from the occasional movie date. The closest she comes to taking a trip is when she makes the three hour drive from Nashville to Morristown. Having her younger sister, Betsy, on the road with her this time made the drive significantly better. The two spend the majority of the drive listening to music and singing at the top of their lungs. 

The pair arrive at their childhood home just as their father is coming outside for his morning cigarette. Katherine parks her 1977 Ford Pinto beside her father’s sheriff car and cuts the engine.  
“Good morning, Sheriff Avery,” she greets him as she skips up the porch steps.   
The older man smiles beneath his beard. He hugs Katherine and gives her a kiss on the cheek before doing the same to Betsy.   
“How are my Vanderbilt girls?” he asks with a twinkle in his clear blue eyes.   
“Hungry,” Katherine and Betsy answer at the same time.   
“Your mom just finished cooking breakfast,” he tells them.   
Betsy goes into the house, but Katherine lingers on the porch. Sheriff Thomas Avery watches his daughter with careful eyes. Twenty-five years on the force taught him how to read people all too well, and he knew each of his daughters like the back of his hand. Although she wore a small smile, he could see the discontent in her blue eyes. He remembers being 21, and wanting to do anything other than spending the summer with his parents. He puts a hand on her shoulder, when she looks up at him he smiles.   
“I’m happy you’re home, Pumpkin. Even if you’re not,” he assures her. 

“I’m happy to see everyone,” she insists. 

“Just maybe not ready to face your mom?” 

“It’s spinster year,” she jokes. 

“Just come in when you’re ready, Pumpkin,” he kisses her forehead.   
He goes into the house. The way her father always knew how she felt never ceased to amaze her. Katherine shakes her head with a smile and follows him inside. The rest of the family had already begun eating when Katherine entered. Her mother, Alice, stood to give her a hug. Katherine sat down between her mother and Betsy where a premade plate was waiting on her.   
“So, how was school this semester?” Her mother asked both her and Betsy.   
“It was good,” Katherine answered. This was the obvious answer to be expected.   
Betsy, on the other hand, began talking about everything she’d experienced this semester. Katherine couldn’t help but smile to herself. It was Betsy’s first semester at Vanderbilt, so she still believed everything was exciting.  
“Katherine, I have some big news!” Her mother says after Betsy is done with her story. Her father gives her mother a knowing glance.   
“Oh really?” Katherine presses.   
“Jonathan Gillis’s father retired, and Jonathan has taken over the family business. I hear he is making very good money now.”   
“Good for him. I know that’s always been his goal.”   
“I just thought you could get in touch with him while you’re here,” her mother suggests.   
“Maybe.”   
Katherine had dated Jonathan Gillis throughout high school, but they broke up when she moved to Nashville. Although it was really his insistence that they get married after graduation that ended it for Katherine. She wasn’t ready to settle down and lose her independence before she had ever truly gained it. Nonetheless, her mother attempts to set them up every time Katherine comes home from school.   
“Anyway, after we get settled in I was gonna drive up to the game warden outpost and see if they wanted me to work again this summer,” Katherine says.   
Thomas nods, but her mother scoffs.   
“Are you really going to spend the summer working?” Her mother asked with a frown.   
“Well, yes, Mom. It’s nice to be able to save money during the summer so I can have some extra money while I’m at school.”   
“If you would go out on dates and let a boy take care of you then-”   
“I think it’s a good idea for her to save money,” Sheriff Avery interrupts before things have a chance to get heated. Mrs. Avery goes silent.   
Katherine and her father exchange understanding glances.

  
After getting all of her stuff into the house, Katherine takes a shower. She changes into some blue jeans and a t-shirt with converse. As she sits at the vanity, there is a knock on her bedroom door. Before she can say anything, her mother enters the room with a small smile.   
“I’m sorry about breakfast,” Katherine says to try and beat her mother to the punch. Mrs. Avery just shrugs.   
“I actually wanted to know if you planned on going to see Lucy today,” she says. “She would be hurt if she knew you came home today but didn’t stop by.”   
“Mom,” Katherine groans.   
“She is your sister, and you should go see her.”   
Being judged by her mother was bad enough, but Lucy scrutinized every move Katherine made. The last time they talked on the phone, the two got into a very big fight. It was six months ago, and they haven’t spoken since. Katherine finishes her makeup and turns to her mother.   
“She never apologized for calling me a whore,” Katherine says.   
“Katherine,” her mother sighs. “I doubt she truly meant it.”   
“So, she really hurt my feelings the last time we talked. I don’t feel like I should make the first move.”   
Mrs. Avery approaches her daughter, and strokes Katherine’s hair softly. There was genuine tenderness and concern in her eyes as she looked down at her daughter.   
“Oh, Em, why is everything so hard for you?” She asked tenderly.   
It was a genuine question, not meant at all to be condescending. As she looked down at the beautiful young woman, her mind evoked memories of the tomboyish little girl. Katherine always was stubborn to a fault, and believed so strongly in things it was almost toxic even as a little girl. Katherine shrugs. Mrs. Avery places a soft kiss on her forehead.  
“Please go see Lucy.”   
“I will think about it.”   
“Thank you, honey. I know you think you’ll regret it, but you won’t.”   
Katherine finally leaves the house around noon. She put on her aviator sunglasses and drove down the familiar streets of her hometown. Everyone waved as she passed them. One of the perks (or disadvantages depending on the situation) of being the sheriff’s daughter is everyone knew her. She did happen to drive past Gillis & Son’s Automotive Repair. Just as her mother said, Jonathan did seem to be getting good business. She was happy for him. How could she not be? At one point she had loved him.   
She turns down the road that would lead her up the mountain to the outpost. This was her favorite part of the drive. The town and outlying neighborhoods gave way to beautiful forests. A stream flowed beside the road, and from time to time you could catch glimpses of deer drinking from it. She turned the radio on and rolled the windows down. Her brown curls caught the wind. It was a perfect day. Sunny and warm but not sweltering hot like it usually is. This is definitely her favorite part of being home. She sings along to the radio, not giving a care in the world.   
In the distance, she saw someone walking down the road. She thought that was strange, but not completely out of the ordinary. She slowed down as she got closer. She noticed he was stumbling more than he was walking. When the man saw her, he began waving his arms frantically.   
“Please stop,” he yells over and over as she passes.   
Her heart pounds at the sight of this young man covered in blood and his arm missing a hand. She turns around as soon as she could, and goes back to where he was. She pulls to the side of the road and exits the car. The man stumbles as best as he could towards her.   
“Are you okay? What happened? Did you get in an accident? Were you attacked?”   
“Let’s take this one question at a time, sweetheart,” the man croaked.   
He almost falls, but she reaches out to catch him. He leans half of his weight on her. Helping him to the car was not easy due to their height difference. She opens the passenger side door, and he collapses into the seat.   
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Katherine whispers as she fishes a shirt from her backseat. She wraps the man’s nub in it.   
“What should I do?” she asked herself more than the half passed out man sitting in front of her.   
“Hospital, take me to the hospital.”   
“Okay, hospital.”   
She shuts the door and sprints to the other side of the car. She speeds back towards town. Her heart is pounding so loud she’s certain it’s filling up the whole car. It feels like it may just beat right out of her chest.   
“Just know that I have a gun and I will not hesitate to use it if you-”   
“I’m not gonna hurt you,” the man mutters.   
The drive back to town was a blur. Before her mind couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Her mind simply had switched into panic mode. She helps him get out of the car and into the hospital. As soon as a nurse sets eyes on him, he’s taken back to a room for treatment. Katherine takes a moment to breath. She goes to the payphone and calls her dad.   
“Sheriff Avery speaking.”   
“Hey, Dad, it’s me. Katherine ”   
“Well, hello, Kit-Kat! What’s going on?”   
“Daddy, you need to get to the hospital. Something’s happened. I don’t know what exactly, but I found a man on the side of the road and-”   
“You picked a man up off the side of the road?”   
“Dad, please, perspective. He was covered in blood and missing a hand. I didn’t know what else to do. We’re at the hospital.”   
“Do you know anything about him or what happened or anything?”   
“No, I don’t know anything about him or what happened or anything.”   
“Okay, okay. I’ll be there in just a minute. Stay there. Don’t move.”   
She hung up the phone with a loud sigh. She leans her head against the wall and closes her eyes. Her mind tries to catch up with everything that’s happened. A tap on her shoulder causes her to stand upright again. An attractive young nurse smiles at her.   
“You can go see your boyfriend now,” the nurse says.   
Katherine laughs, “My boyfriend? What? No, no. He’s not my boyfriend.”   
“Oh, I’m so sorry miss.”   
“It’s fine, I see where that would be assumed,” she sighs. “So, what happened to him?”   
“He claims he was in a car accident,” the nurse explains.   
“Claims?”   
The nurse raises a perfectly shaped eyebrow.   
“Most of the wounds were more like claw marks, but what do I know?” The nurse shrugs and she leads Katherine back to his room. The room is dimly lit, only small slivers of golden light shine through the curtains. The man sits up on the bed like a man who is ready to be on the run.   
“There she is, my hero,” he greets Katherine. His voice is still gravelly.   
“Hello, mystery man.” She sits down in the chair beside the bed. 

“My name is Ash Williams,” he says. “Now, I’m not a mystery.”   
“Katherine Avery,” she replies. “And yes, you are.”   
He shrugs, “I guess so.” 

Now that he isn’t covered in blood, she gets her first good look at him. Ash isn’t much older than her, maybe a couple years. He has a handsome face with a strong jawline and chin. Dark eyes that showed everything he was feeling in the moment, which at the moment seemed to be confusion and sadness. Small cuts were all over his face. Something about the way he looked made her want to reach out and comfort him. Her mother would be proud of her for thinking about a man this way.   
“Thanks for stopping,” he interrupts her thoughts.   
“Thanks for not dying in my front seat,” she retorts.   
He chuckles, “I’ve made it too far to die in the front seat of a Pinto.”   
“And just where exactly did you make it from?”

“Michigan, is the vague answer,” he chuckles. “Sorry I got blood all over you.”  
She looks down at herself. Her jeans and shirt were covered in blood. “Oh shit, I didn’t even notice.”   
Before Ash can say anything else, their attention is drawn to the sound of someone clearing their throat. She looks up to see her Dad standing in the doorway. Katherine stands up.  
“Daddy-”   
“Miss Avery, Deputy Jones will take your statement. I’ll speak with mister-”   
“Williams,” Katherine answers.   
She was taken aback by her father’s attitude towards her. She’d never seen the business side of him. Deputy Jones stepped forward. He placed a hand on her back to lead her. She looks back as she’s ushered out the door.   
Deputy Jones takes her to the cafeteria. Deputy Jones is a few years younger than her father. He had curly red hair, and blue eyes which were cloudy from years of alcohol abuse. 

They both get styrofoam cups of weak coffee, but they don’t touch them. He asks her what happened, but not much else. She recounts how she found Ash on the side of the road. How he could barely walk or talk.   
“Did he say anything about what happened to him?” Deputy Jones asked.   
“No, he didn’t. He was basically passed out the whole way.”   
The deputy nods as he writes something down on his notepad.   
“Thanks for speaking to me, Miss Avery.” He stands up, “Now if you’ll come with me I need to get you home.”   
“Wait, I want to go back to the room.”   
“I’m sorry, but I was told to make sure you get home safely.”   
“Deputy Jones, I really don’t think that’s necessary.” She sighs, “I have my own car anyway.”   
“Miss Avery, I’ve been given my orders from Sheriff Avery. Neither of us needs to be in trouble with him at the moment.”

“What about my car?” 

“Your father will take care of it, miss. Please just come along.”   
She rolls her eyes, “Fine.”  
Deputy Jones again puts his hand on her back to lead her out to the police car. He opens the passenger side door for her. She sits in the passenger seat with her arms crossed in front of her chest. They don’t speak as he drives her home. 

That night, she waits on the front porch for her father. Around five he finally pulls into the driveway. He sits in the car for a few minutes hoping she’ll go inside. Katherine waits. 

Finally, with a heavy sigh, Sheriff Avery decides to face his daughter. She watches him walk up the porch steps. He has a deeply concerned look on his face. 

“So, what do you think?” she inquires as he sits on the swing beside her. 

“I think you need to stay away from this, Pumpkin.” 

Katherine furrows her eyebrows, and she stares down at her bare feet still pushing the swing. Her blue eyes are filled with determination. He remembers when she was 12 and he was trying to convince her that she couldn’t jump from her treehouse onto the trampoline without getting hurt. Even as she sat in the hospital with a broken arm she refused to admit that she made a mistake. It was different now. She’s a grown woman now, and the mistakes could be more disastrous. 

“He’s claiming he was attacked, but just a few days ago Jonathan saw him stopped at a gas station with 4 other people. Now they’re all missing and he shows up covered in blood,” Sheriff Avery tries to get his daughter to understand. He needs her to understand. 

“What if something else happened, Dad? You can’t just assume he’s comp-”

“Katherine, I have no idea what happened. All I know was there were five and now there’s just him and he’s lying to me about what happened for some reason. I’ll be damned if you’re going to get involved in this.” 

“I’m already involved!” 

Sheriff Avery stands up, the anger at being yelled at by his own daughter boils inside him. 

“You stay away from him, you stay out of this investigation. I don’t care what you think about it. Stay away from this situation, and that is an order!” 

He stomps into the house, leaving Katherine blinking back tears. She hears the whispers through the kitchen window. Her mother wants to know what is happening, and her father gives her half truths.


	2. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine goes to the hospital to visit Ash.

#  Chapter Two

Katherine sits on the front porch swing watching the cars roll down the street. It’s a quiet morning. It hadn’t gotten hot yet, but she knew it would as the day went on. She used the tips of her toes to keep the swing rocking back and forth. She hadn’t been able to sleep. 

She’s worried about Ash despite the cool demeanor he tried to keep in the hospital the night before. Her mind kept replaying the first moment she saw him on the road and the fear she had seen in his eyes. She knew it would be easier for her father if she ceased being involved in the situation. She’s dug up some trouble, and her father feels obligated to sort it out. Still, something had happened that couldn’t be explained away, and she has the unshakeable feeling that Ash is a victim. She wants to go back to the hospital. 

_ “I need to stay out of it,” _ she reminds herself. 

Again, the image of Ash stumbling towards her car covered in blood flashed in her mind. Her father would want to wrap this up as neatly as possible, which means giving Ash little chance to explain himself. He’s already convinced Ash is a murderer, and he wants her to believe so as well. 

“I guess I’m going to the hospital,” she grumbles to herself as she walks down the porch steps. 

She was able to avoid seeing anyone who would run back to her dad on her way to the hospital. It was still early enough in the morning for there to be few people out and about. She pulls her jacket on as she walks into the hospital. 

“Excuse me, miss, visiting hours haven’t started,” she hears someone say right as she reaches Ash’s room.

She turns around to see a young woman standing behind her. The young nurse wears her hair in a tight bun, but has the wide eyes of someone still not confident in their position. Katherine hopes she can strike some kind of cord.

“Oh, I didn’t know,” Katherine lies. She hopes this will be enough, but the nurse’s expression doesn’t change. 

“I’m still going to have to ask you to leave, miss.” 

Katherine panics for only a second before another lie falls from her lips, “I’m sorry, I was coming to check on my boyfriend. I’ve been so worried about him.”

She feels a pang of guilt when pity fills the young nurse’s features. The nurse looks around the empty corridor before letting out a sigh. 

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt anything for you to go in a little early. 

Katherine smiles, “Thank you so much. I promise you won’t even know I’m here.” 

The nurse nods and then turns on her heels. Katherine watches the nurse disappear around the corner before going into Ash’s room. He’s wearing a stupid smirk when she walks into the small, dimly lit room. 

“Boyfriend, huh?” he teases her. 

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself over it.” 

She sits down in the chair beside his bed. He watches every move she makes, and for a moment she thinks he’s being a pervert. Then, she realizes he’s watching every corner of the room carefully. 

“How are you feeling?” she asks him. 

“Groovy,” he answers with just a tinge of sarcasm coating his voice. He runs his hand through his dark hair. “You know, I wasn’t expecting you back here. Your daddy seemed pretty insistent I don’t drag you into my shitshow.” 

“Well, you dragged me in it when you flagged me down on the road,” she retorts. “I think it’s a little late to turn back now.” 

“Listen honey, this isn’t the right situation to use for rebelling against your small town life,” Ash warns her.

She sits back in the chair, crossing her arms over her chest, “You don’t even know me.”

“You don’t know me either. I wouldn’t be telling you this if it wasn’t serious. You’ve gotta stay away from me,” he’s almost begging. “I can’t watch someone else get hurt because of me.” 

“Just answer one question, and if you don’t wanna talk to me I’ll leave.” 

“Promise?” 

“I promise.”

He sighs, “Alright then. Ask away.” 

“How did you lose your hand?”

His eyes flick to her, and then looks down at the stump wrapped in bandages. He thinks over his answer very carefully. This wasn’t the question he had expected, although he should’ve. It was the most obvious. She watched him with those big blue eyes, and her head cocked to the side curiously. If it wasn’t for her stopping, he would’ve bled out on the side of the road. For that he assumes she deserves an honest answer. 

“I cut it off with a chainsaw,” he answers finally. 

Katherine’s eyes widen, “No way.” 

He cocks an eyebrow, “I did.” 

The smile slowly fades from her face as she realizes it wasn’t just some sort of twisted joke. Her heart pounds in her chest. He had to admit it was nice just to finally get it off his chest. Even if it was only a small sliver of the truth. He found himself wanting to open up more. He sees the fear pooling in her eyes, and without thinking he leans forward to take her hand. She pulls it away. 

“Why would you do that?” Her voice is small. The curiosity in her was gone. 

“I had to,” he explains. “It was possessed. It would’ve spread to my whole body, and I would’ve become a monster.” 

“Ash, this isn’t funny,” Katherine warns. 

“I know it isn’t,” he agrees. He reaches out again, knowing it would kill him to be rejected. This time she lets him take her hand, somehow she senses he needs the grounding. 

“This sounds like bullshit.”

A desperate, needy look falls over his face. He squeezes her hand, “It’s the truth, Katherine. Your father didn’t believe me. I understand why nobody would, but please try. Nobody sees this as being more bullshit than me, and I lived through it.” 

“I need you to tell me what happened,” she requests. “The whole truth.” 

Ash sighs, “I really don’t think you want to hear this.” 

“I have to, we’re just going nowhere fast if I don’t know.” 

With a heavy sadness in his eyes, Ash shares his story with her. He explains how one by one he had to kill his friends, and perhaps most traumatically, his girlfriend. He tells you of how he was possessed but a token of he and Linda’s love had helped pull him out of it. 

“You still wanna hear the rest?” He asks her. She nods, and he continues on. 

Next he was sucked into a vortex and spent at least a year living out of his own time. He even moved on with a nice girl there, but she was possessed as well. Then he was spit out again in the middle of woods covered in blood and with a freshly removed hand as though he had never been gone. What was a year in the vortex was only a day when he was spit back out to his own time. In his own words, “time travel is funny like that.”

“Then, a pretty girl picks me up on the side of the road but it turns out her dad’s the sheriff. Just my luck,” he finishes his story with a half-hearted attempt at a joke. 

Katherine sits quietly by the window, trying to absorb everything he’s told her. Ash stands across the room, leaning against the wall. His heart pounds as he considers her possible reactions. Worst case scenario, she doesn’t believe him and leaves. Even worse, she believes him but still decides to leave. He can’t help but hope that perhaps he would land on the best case: she believes him and stays.

She stands up from where she had been sitting by the window, and moves to be a little closer to him. She stands just a couple feet away from him. In the warm, golden light she can see the small scars littering his face. One on his lip, one on his chin, and two on his cheek. He can see her eyes scrutinizing every move he makes, she narrows them slightly. 

“I want you to know that if this does all turn out to be one big pile of shit I will kill you myself,” she warns. 

“Does that mean you believe me?” 

“It means I’m willing to try.” 

He doesn’t know what comes over him. Perhaps it’s just the relief of not just outright being shut down mixed with the gratitude he feels towards her. He closes the space between them and wraps his arms around her waist. She finds herself having to cling onto his strong shoulders to hold herself up since he’d grabbed her so abruptly. He takes in the feeling of closeness, and he feels more grounded than he has in a while. 

“Thank you so much,” he whispers against her hair. 

“Yeah, well, I am the push over of the family,” she jokes. 

He releases her with a small smile on his face, “Lucky me that you were one to pick me up.” 

They plan for her to pick him up when he’s released from the hospital, which would hopefully be sometime in the afternoon. Katherine leaves Ash’s room feeling more at ease about the whole situation now that she knows what his side of the story was. 

As she’s walking to her car, she hears an all too familiar voice call her name. She looks up in time to see Jonathan Gillis making his way across the parking lot towards her. She had to admit he was better looking now than he had ever been in school, which was saying a lot because Jonathan was never a schlub. He’d gotten taller and his frame filled out more. 

“Betsy said you might be here,” he explains. “Thought I’d stop by and get the scoop on the trouble you’ve caused already.” 

“Good news travels fast,” Katherine retorts.

“So, wanna grab lunch?” he asks with a hopeful smile.

“Jonathan,” she sighs. “Is it really a good idea?” 

“Just lunch as friends, I promise.”

“Okay, fine.But you’re buying.”

“Of course! Starting town gossip doesn’t pay much,” he teases as he leads her to his car. She looks back at the hospital just in time to see Ash looking out his window with the sad look of a kicked puppy. 

Jonathan drives to Sal’s Diner. At one point this had been the quintessential restaurant in their relationship. Jonathan had taken her there for their first date when they were only fifteen. Their first kiss took place underneath the faded neon sign. They had come here to get milkshakes after their senior prom before going to park on Lover’s Cliff where he accidentally ripped her dress in the backseat of his car. Now, four years later they’ve returned. It’s almost amusing to Katherine how easily they still walked through the doors and seated themselves at ‘their’ booth in the far corner as though no time had passed. 

A teenage waitress with a blonde ponytail and braces makes her way over to take their order. They both order cheeseburgers. Jonathan orders a chocolate shake, Katherine orders a soda. 

“Let’s hear it,” Jonathan says after the waitress skips off. 

“Okay, just promise you won’t chastise me or anything.” 

He laughs, “Come on, Kit-Kat. It’s me!” 

She cocks her eyebrow with a smirk, “Exactly.” 

“Alright, alright. I promise.” 

She holds her hand out between them with her eyes narrowed and  pinkie outstretched, “Pinky promise?” 

He shakes his head, “Are we still kids here?” 

“Pinky promises are a solid form of trust, okay? Do it or no story.” 

They’re briefly interrupted by the waitress dropping off their food. As soon as she’s gone, Katherine offers her pinky again. She had done it out of instinct, but she is taken back to a time when they were kids. She made him pinky promise over everything, hell she makes everyone pinky promise. His face softens as he intertwined his pinky with hers. 

“I pinky promise,” he agrees. 

Katherine leans in as she begins telling her story so that it stays between them. Jonathan watches her with a warm look in his eyes that had once made her feel giddy, but now incites a feeling of trust you can only have with someone you spent most of your childhood and the entirety of your adolescence with. 

“So, I was going to the outpost to see if Mr. Hollister wanted me to work for him again this summer or not. And then as I was driving I saw him on the side of the road, which is pretty normal for this time of year people for walks and shit. But then he started yelling for me to stop, and I didn’t want to because-” 

“Stranger danger?” Jonathan offers. 

“Yes, exactly! But then I noticed he was covered in blood so I stopped. I really was planning on just talking to him and keeping him calm until someone else came along to help but then he practically collapsed in my arms. And I noticed the hand at some point with all this going on. So I just kind of lost my sense of self-preservation.” 

“So you took him to the hospital?” 

“Yeah, and then I called dad.” 

“And you’ve been at the hospital with him more or less ever since?” 

She laughs, “Is someone jealous?” 

He leans back and shakes his head, “No!” 

“For your information I haven’t been. I just went back this morning to talk to him and see how he’s feeling.” 

“So, what happened to his hand?” 

Her heart pounds in her chest as she begins to remember what Ash told her this morning. She knows she can’t tell Jonathan that story. There would be no faster way to end up locked up in an asylum for the summer. 

“He was attacked by an animal,” she lies. 

“What kind of animal would eat just his hand?” Jonathan presses. 

“I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”

“And you believe that?” 

“Yeah,” she shrugs, “I mean what other story is there?”

“Kate, you need to stay away from this guy. He could be dangerous,” Jonathan warns. 

She crosses her arms, “You promised you wouldn’t chastise.” 

“I’m just worried, okay? I think I’m allowed to be. Especially since you’ve been to the hospital twice to see him,” He laughs bitterly. “But I guess I’m just an asshole.” 

She rolls her eyes, “I never said that.” 

“But you don’t have to,” he claims. 

“I understand why everyone is worried,” she concedes. “He is a stranger, and he could be lying to me.” 

“You’ve always had a tendency to throw caution to the wind when it comes to something that piques your curiosity,” Jonathan comments before taking a bite of his burger. 

Katherine tilts her to the side with her nose scrunched up, “Is that so?”

He laughs, almost spitting out some of his burger. After containing himself he nods, “Yeah. You’re not exactly Little Miss Dependable.” 

She looks down at her hands, and then realizes he had known she was at the hospital. This was never an attempt at friendship. She feels so ridiculous and betrayed. 

“Jonathan, how did you know I was at the hospital this morning?” 

“It was just a guess,” he says without looking at her. 

“You know, my mom was talking you up the morning I came home.” She straightens her posture and crosses her arms. “So, how did you know I was at the hospital?” 

“Your mom called me this morning,” he confesses. “Actually she called me before you came home and asked me to reach out to you again. But of course all this other stuff happened.” 

She looks down at her hands, “Why did you have to be asked by my mother to reach out to me? Why couldn’t we just be friends?” 

“Fuck, Katherine. I don’t want to just be friends. You broke my heart when you left.” 

“Well, you know, let’s communicate that next time because I thought we were just having lunch, you know, as friends.” 

He begins to speak again, but she holds her hand up as an indication for him to shush. She gathers her things, and leaves without speaking to him again. After all this time she still feels invisible and small. Everyone has their expectations of her and their own ideas about her unwillingness to settle. She’s been carrying guilt over not being able to make herself be happy with a small town life. Walking from Jonathan in the diner felt like walking away from all the unfair expectations placed on her, and she felt at peace for the first time in ages. 


	3. Book of the Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Katherine go into the woods to find the Delta.

After picking Ash up from the hospital, they stopped by a local department store so he could pick out some clothes that weren’t the gray sweats the hospital provided him. He picks out a pair of khakis and a blue button up shirt. Katherine points out that it’s more or less the same outfit he’d been wearing when she picked him up, just not bloody and tattered. She does understand his attachment to the look though once he changes into the new clothes in the bathroom of the gas station. When he walks out, she can’t help but feel flustered as she studies him. The khakis clinged to his long legs in a nice way and they accentuated his ass. The blue shirt looked nice against his tan skin. The overall look showed off his athletic physique. He doesn’t say anything when she comments that blue is a good color for him. In fact aside from thanking her for the clean clothes, Ash wasn’t as talkative as usual.

He looked out the window as they rode in silence. Katherine wasn’t entirely sure what to do with him now, so she just drove down all the backroads she knew figuring he would have to say something eventually. 

His thumb absently strokes the bandage where his right hand had once been. He’s acutely aware of walking out of that cabin with less to offer than before. Eventually someone is going to have to answer for the disappearances of his friends, and he doubts anyone else would believe what really happened. Katherine believed him, and that felt nice. Although there was a tug of guilt for having interrupted her life so much. He knows it’s not fair for him to be mad that she’d never mentioned a boyfriend before. He had seen her with Jonathan outside the hospital. They were friendly with one another. Ash can see the lingering bits of history between them. It makes him regret being so open with her. Seeing as he would likely carry the burden of being the sole person with experience in fighting deadites for the rest of his life, he figures there probably won’t be much room for vulnerability or softness anymore. He thinks of when he hugged her in the hospital. How she smelled so sweet and felt so warm. The way she braced herself against him. After she left, he had toyed with the idea of this being the beginning of something else. Maybe another chance at having a normal life. 

_‘That was stupid,’_ he reminds himself. 

Now, she drives. Her eyes focused intently on the road, her dark curls falling down her shoulders. In spite of everything she hummed along to the radio and carries herself easily. She notices him picking at his bandaged wrist, and she reaches down to take his hand. He looks at her with confusion written all over his features, but she just smiles. He feels warm and soft and open again for a moment before snapping back into reality. 

“How would your boyfriend feel about you riding around with a stranger and holding his hand?” he asks her. 

“What boyfriend?” 

“You know, the guy at the hospital.” 

She laughs, “That’s not my boyfriend. There is no boyfriend.” 

He nods, deeply appreciating this news. With all previous ill feelings about her now forgotten, he gives her hand a squeeze. Maybe it’s okay not to have a normal life. They have now, and she makes him feel good about himself. Perhaps now is all they really needed. Even if it was nothing more than light flirtation before they part ways, he wanted to soak in all the warmth he could. 

Katherine likes being around Ash. He’s easy to talk to, and there was simply no attached bullshit to the way he approached things. There was an uncertainty to the whole situation that should’ve scared her away but didn’t. She had a feeling she could trust him. 

_‘I’m just solving the mystery of a handsome stranger, like Nancy Drew meets Nora Roberts’_ she tells herself. 

“So, what do we need to do?” she asks him. 

“About what?” 

“I don’t know, proving your story?” 

“I don’t know how,” he says honestly. 

She tries to think of everything he told her, perhaps she could try to fill in some blanks. She turns the car down a dirt road that she knows leads to a clearing beside the creek bank. It was a spot that used to host parties back in her high school days. 

“What about the cabin? We could go back there and-” 

“No! Absolutely not. No way.” 

She raises her eyebrows, “Not even if it could keep you from going to prison for murder?” 

“If it comes to that I’ll go by myself, but I will not take you. I refuse to be responsible for anything happening to you.” 

“How about your car?” 

He sighs, “Geez, you’re persistent.” 

She takes her hand away from him so she can push one of her curls out of her face. He wants to reach out to take it again, but doesn’t. Instead he’s entranced by the way the sunlight illuminates the freckles dotting along her nose and cheekbones. 

“I’ve been told that a lot. I’m starting to think it might be true,” she laughs. 

“It’s definitely true,” he agrees. 

“So, where would your car have gotten spit out?” 

“I don’t know. The piece of junk is probably in the woods somewhere.” 

“Ash, we’re in a town that’s surrounded by 20 miles of woods in each direction.” 

He groans, “So?” 

“So, you’ve gotta give me something to work with.” 

Ash looks back out the window. They come to the clearing, and she parks the car by the creek. She turns as best she can in her seat to face him. 

“Ash, I’m trying to help. I don’t even know exactly what with, but help nonetheless.” 

She reaches over and cups his chin. She tugs his face in her direction. There’s hope in his eyes when he turns to her and he can’t seem to focus on anything other than her lips as she talks. Her hand never leaves his face, she keeps her fingers tucked beneath his chin. It takes so much effort for him not to press his face against her palm. It’d been so long since a woman from his own time had touched him so tenderly, and he was finding himself to be a complete food for it. He doubts Katherine even knows the effect she’s having on him. 

“Listen, I want to believe you. I really do, but at this point you haven’t even given me a reason to. All I’ve gotten is a very detailed and confusing story.”

She drops her hand to her lap. With the sudden lack of touch he finally manages to pull his eyes away from her lips to look her in the eyes. 

He places his hand on her shoulder and gives it a squeeze, “Honey, I know you’re trying to help. I really do. I’m just not sure I’m ready to revisit all this right now. The demons are gone, there’s no danger. We don’t have to rush.” 

“What exactly do you want to do then? We can’t just sit here forever.”

His eyes trace back down to her full, pink lips, “I can think of a few things.” 

“Like?” she presses, knowing full well what he wanted to do.

He moves his hand along her neck, finally coming to cup her face. He leans in, testing the waters with a soft kiss on the cheek. She doesn’t pull away despite her heart pounding in her chest. He pulls away enough to see the expectant look on her face. He leans back in until their noses brush against each other, then he feels her pull away slightly. 

“This is probably a bad idea,” he whispers. His warm breath brushes across her cheek. 

“Probably,” she agrees. Still her hand comes to rest on his broad chest, enjoying how taut he feels. “That doesn’t mean you have to stop though.” 

He closes the remaining space, taking her lips with his. She’s everything he’d hoped she would be. Soft and warm with a touch of playfulness. The orange soda she’d drank earlier still gave her full lips a sweet taste. She lets out a soft moan as he deepens the kiss a little more. 

Her mind was a flurry of thoughts as her heart raced in her chest. She thought of all the warnings she’d gotten about throwing caution to the wind. Knowing she should heed the advice of Jonathan and her mother, she once again throws caution to the wind as her fingers take in a handful of his blue shirt to pull him closer. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and Ash felt a familiar stirring in his pants. 

They break apart for a moment. Ash wraps his arms around her, and attempts to pull her into his lap. This results in her hitting her head on the roof of the car. He lets her go out of shock, and she lands back in the driver’s seat. The small car is filled with their laughter. Ash’s fingertips soothe over the top of her head. He can’t help but feel foolish. 

“Talk about the universe sending hints,” she laughs. 

He shakes his head, “I feel so dumb. We’re in a ridiculously small car. The seats barely fit one person.” 

She cups his cheek and gives him a playful pout, “Is someone’s ego a little hurt?” 

“Laugh it up now,” he retorts. “Just wait until the next time.” 

“That sounds like a threat.” 

He smirks, “It definitely is.” 

She feels her core tingle in anticipation, but tries to ignore it. “Who even says there will be a next time?” 

“This does”, he mimics her pushing out her chest. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Make fun. You’re just adding to how long I wait.” 

She starts the car, and they go begin driving back towards town. Ash is still gloating in the passenger seat. His face is still a little flush and he can’t quite keep the smile off of it. Meanwhile, Katherine has already started checking off all the questions she could ask. 

“What if we went back to where you woke up?” she asks. 

Ash lets out a groan, “You’re really not gonna rest until I show you some kind of proof are you?” 

“Probably not.” 

She reaches over to take his hand again. He soothes his thumb over her knuckles. He understands her longing for answers, especially now knowing that she reciprocated his romantic inclinations. He’s also somewhat aware that the chances of them actually finding his car are pretty slim, so if going out to look would give her peace of mind he was willing to play along. 

“I think I woke up about half a mile from where you picked me up.” 

Her face lights up, “See, that's the start we needed!” 

She goes to the place they met. She parks on the side of the road, and they get out of the car. 

“You know, the last time we stopped the car things got pretty heated. I’m willing to replay that event,” he jokes. 

“Ha, nice try.” 

She walks along the gravel road. In the back of her mind she could still clearly see Ash limping to her car. She can pinpoint the exact spot he fell into her arms. The events of the last three days makes it feel odd to be back at the beginning for her. She looks to Ash, her heart hurting for him. She can’t imagine all the suffering he’s endured. How long this has been an ongoing event for him. She hoped she could help bring him some peace rather than simply being a stop on this dangerous journey for him. 

“So, where did you come out to the road?” she asks him. 

“I came from that direction,” he points to a spot beside the small stream where there was a pile of branches. He remembers a group of young kids playing in the stream until they caught sight of him coming out of the woods. It makes him nervous how she still sees this as an adventure. 

“Alright, then that’s where we’ll start.” 

She begins to step across the stream, but feels Ash cling to her arm. She turns back to him. He pulls her against him, and presses a kiss to her forehead. 

“What’s that about?” she asks with a grin. 

“I just want you to know I’ll keep you safe.” 

“I know,” she kisses his cheek. 

He lets go of her arm, and watches as she skips across the stream. With a heavy sigh he follows behind her. She walked around trees and along the creek bank in dutiful search for clues. Meanwhile, Ash can’t seem to keep his eyes off of her blue jean clad ass. His eyes trace the curve of her thighs. He doesn’t understand how this girl has gotten to him so quickly. He was almost certain that part of him had died with Linda, then he was absolutely sure when Sheila fell to the Evil Dead as well. Yet, Katherine had weasled her way beneath his armor. Her big heart had made her so willing to take him under her wing, and oh so eager to clear his name even if it’s only in her eyes. Everyone else he’d encountered treated him with apprehension and suspicion, yet she’d showed him nothing but tenderness. 

She looks over her shoulder at him with those wide blue eyes, and gives him a sweet smile. He wants to grab her, kiss her, and make her forget all about this business. Instead he follows behind, praying he was right and her search would prove fruitless. She walks over a hill and disappears out of his sight. 

Nestled in a ditch she sees a yellow Delta 88, just barely intact. Feeling proud of herself, she trots down the hill. She looks inside the car, which is just littered with leaves. 

“Oh shit,” Ash says from the top of the hill. His whole face dropped as he watched her open the trunk. 

She rifles through the various beer cans, articles of clothing, and dirty magazines. Then underneath an issue of Playboy she finds a book. It almost seems to be staring back up at her. She picks it up carefully, and flips open the cover. As soon as she opens the cover, she swears she begins to hear faint whispers. She begins to flip to another page, and the whispers grow even stronger. She flips through, the voices steadily getting louder until she comes to a page with a terrifying illustration of a solid black being with the robust figure of a beautiful woman. There were no discernable features except for a snarling mouth and red eyes. There were notes made all around the page, pointing to different parts of the illustration. The words on top of the page were echoing in her head, tempting her to say them aloud. 

“Drop that!” Ash begins running down the hill. Katherine looks up inquisitively. “Put that fucking thing down, for the love of God!” 

Katherine closes the book, and the voices stop. Her mind suddenly clears, and she’s nearly driven to tears by the reality of what she just experienced. She tosses the book back in the trunk. She gets back to Ash as quickly as she can. He cups her face and studies her as though trying to assure it was still her. 

“Did you read anything from that book out loud?” He asks

“No, of course not.” 

“Are you sure? You didn’t utter a single syllable?” 

“No, Ash, I promise.” 

A flood of relief passes over his features. He cups her face, “Listen to me, you are never to read anything out of that book. That’s what conjures those fucking monsters up.” 

“I won’t,” she assures him. “Ash, it was in my head. How does a book do that?”

“It’s not just a book, baby. Promise me, Katherine. Don’t ever even open it again.” 

She holds her pinky up between them, “I pinky promise.” 

He intertwines their pinkies, “A legitimate form of trust for you, I take it?” 

“Absolutely.” 

“We should show the book to my father,” she comments. 

“Why?”

“Maybe it can help prove who is responsible.” 

He laughs, “And he can arrest my creepy book?” 

“I don’t know,” she admits. “It was just an idea.”

“Listen, all I care about is that this is enough for _you_ to believe me,” he says. 

She looks back at the books and its twisted face, and then looks back to Ash. She nods slowly. Ash takes the book and begins searching in the vicinity. Now that he knew for sure there was evidence of what had happened in the woods, he wants to be certain there’s nothing that could fall into the wrong hands. Before being sucked back into the vortex he had stored everything except the book in a chest. The hope is that everything is still inside of it. Katherine follows him along the ditch. Then, about 500 feet from the car, the corner of the chest pokes out of the leaves. 

“Ah yes, come to daddy!” Ash runs over to where the chest is, and opens it up. He rifles through its contents to insure everything was still in there. 

Katherine raises her eyebrows as she peers over his shoulder to see what was inside: a chainsaw outfitted with a metal cuff, a sawed off shotgun with a holster, and an odd looking dagger with skulls on the handle. Ash tosses the book in there, and then locks it up. Katherine steps out of the way as he pulls the chest up. Together they make the nearly mile walk back to her car, Ash carrying one side of the chest and Katherine carrying the other. When they get back to the road, they set the chest in the trunk of her car.

“So, is this like a deadite killing kit or something?” she asks as they both get back in the car. 

“I guess you could say that,” Ash shrugs. 

She shakes her head, “What is my life becoming?” 

Ash laughs, “I ask myself that every day.”


	4. Mountain Trail Inn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine checks Ash into a hotel room. Meanwhile, her family decides to confront her about her involvement with Ash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is kind of a filler chapter.

Just outside of town is the Mountain Trail Inn. It’s not situated near a mountain trail but rather on the old highway that’s practically abandoned. Calling it an inn is taking some liberties. When one imagines an inn, it’s only natural to assume a certain amount of comfort and luxury. The Mountain Trail Inn is more on the sleazy side of things. They rent rooms out by the hour, day, week, or month. It’s a favorite among adulterers and horny teens alike. It’s also pretty well known that drugs of all sorts are sold out of room 27, the one room which is rented out year round to Billy Joe Holloway. It’s not ideal, but considering rooms go for thirty bucks a night it’s the best Katherine can do. 

After checking in, they drag the chest into room 13. It smells moldy in the room, and there’s no curtain for the shower. Katherine feels guilty for having to leave Ash here, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He plops down in the corner chair, and turns on the television then turns it off after realizing it wouldn’t pick up anything. Katherine leans against the small corner desk with her ankles crossed. 

“Are you going to be okay when I leave?” she asks. 

He leans, “You really gotta go, huh?”

She nods, “I’ve got to at least make an appearance at home.” 

He reaches over and takes her hand. He stands up, pulling her closer to him as he does so. With their foreheads pressed together, reaches up to rest his hand on the back of her neck. 

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” she assures him. “You’ll barely have time to miss me.”

“I doubt that,” Ash hums. 

This time Katherine is the first to close the remaining space. She presses a soft kiss on his lips, they pull back and smile at each other. She kisses him again, now deeper. She reaches up again to cup his face, the tip of her index finger following along the scar on his cheekbone. Ash grips her waist and pulls her flush against him, relishing in how she felt pressed against him. His hand moves to the hem of her shirt, and slips beneath it. He caresses the soft flesh, and can feel the swell of her breast at his fingertips. She moved away suddenly, a blush had spread across her freckled face. 

“Not so fast, mister.” 

“What?” he feigns innocence. 

“I think maybe we should slow this down a little bit.” 

“Well, baby, you’re the one revving the engine.” 

She playfully slaps his chest as she laughs. He pulls his hand out of her shirt, and cups the back of her head. He’s moving for another kiss, but she dodges him. 

“I’m serious, Ash.” 

He sighs, “Alright, alright.” 

He sits down on the bed. She moves a stray strand of hair off his forehead, and smiles.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” she says. 

“I’ll be here.” 

She leans down and gives him a quick peck on the cheek before walking out the door. 

Pulling up at her house, she’s surprised to find all the lights still on and Lucy’s car in the driveway. She parks beside it, and sees Lucy standing on the porch with their parents. Betsy peaks out the window, but retreats as soon as Katherine gets out of the car. Katherine walks up to the porch, and the previously conversing trio fall silent. 

“Hey there, Katherine,” her father is the first to greet her. “What have you been up to today?” 

“I went for a hike,” she lies.

“That’s quite a hike you must have taken, you were gone all day.” 

“Well, I stopped in town first.” 

She walks up the steps. Pushing past her sister to walk towards the door. 

“Wait just one second,” her father demands. He grabs his arm to stop her. 

She turns back to face them with anger written all over her face. 

“So, what is this? An intervention for nothing?” 

The three of them look at each other with a mix of guilt and hurt. It wasn’t planned for things to be taken this way. Yet Katherine felt as though they were ganging up on her. 

“No,” her mother pipes in. “We’re just worried about you.” 

“Why?” 

“Because of all this business with that man on the road.” 

She laughs bitterly, “If everyone is so worried about me, how about they start listening to me?” 

Her father steps forward, “You’re the one who isn’t listening. I’ve told you that this man is dangerous. Five people went into the woods, only he walked out. We haven’t found any bodies, but we have his clothes covered in blood.” 

“Listen to me, Sheriff. When I found Ash, he was afraid of something. He was desperate and weak and is covered in scars. He was attacked, and that's more obvious than your murder theory if you’ll look at what’s right in front you.”

Thomas groans, “So, is that what he’s telling you? He’s the lone survivor of a massive attack?”

“Yes,” she sighs and leans against the railing of the porch. Confused looks are passed around. 

“If that’s what happened then why did he tell me it was a car accident at the hospital?” 

“Because he’s a terrible liar and is afraid you won’t believe the real story.” 

“Well to be honest, at the moment I don’t.” 

“I didn’t either,” she says quietly. 

“Kate, please, just this once. Listen to us,” Lucy interjects. “This sounds like a lot for you to try to solve. Just let Dad handle it.” 

“Oh butt out, little miss perfect,” Katherine snaps. 

“How are you so damn bitter just because I’ve managed to have a nice life and you make everything as hard as you possibly can?” 

“Oh yes, we should all have a nice cozy job and a nice house with no friends or interests at all besides bagging a husband. If that’s not what you want you’re just wrong and Lucy has no room for you in her perfect life,” Katherine taunts. “Fuck you.” 

“You’re so right! I absolutely do not have room in my life for an absolute trainwreck of a human being who thinks that a bloodied man on the side of the road makes a good boyfriend.” 

“Geez, I better call mommy and beg her to help settle the fight I started. Oh wait, that’s your signature move.” 

“Hey, don’t do this girls,” Alice stands between her daughters. 

“Oh look, you didn’t even have to tattle this time!” 

Katherine pushes past her gawking family to finally go inside. In the bedroom she shares with Betsy, she finds Betsy sitting on one bed. Katherine falls back onto the other one. She stares at the ceiling, listening to the sound of her own heart beating loudly. 

“I tried to tell them that it was a bad idea,” Betsy says after a few moments. “It’s not fair for all three of them to jump on you at once.” 

The events of the day swirled in her mind. She felt guilty for lashing out so hard at Lucy. The pressure of Ash’s wild story being true mixed with the already present animosity with her older sister made the argument on the porch an easy outlet for her frustration. 

“I shouldn't have lashed out,” Katherine replies. 

A knock on the door catches both of their attention. Lucy stands at the door with an uncomfortable smile. 

“Hello,” she says. “Betsy, do you think I can have a minute with Katherine?” 

Betsy looks to Katherine inquisitively. Katherine gives her a nod of approval, and Betsy leaves the room. Lucy comes to sit on Betsy’s vacated bed. 

“When did things get so bad between us?” Lucy asks. 

Katherine shrugs, “It seems like my relationships with everyone except Betsy went downhill after I broke things off with Jonathan.” 

“You did go a little wild,” Lucy insists. 

“I was trying to figure out who I am,” she laughs. “I guess that did involve too much debauchery at first.” 

“I guess it was just hard for me to accept that you’ve got to go about things your own way, and Jonathan was so hurt-” 

“But I was too. It wasn’t easy for me to let him go after so long together,” she leans forwards. “Besides, Jonathan isn’t your sister. He didn’t need you. I did.” 

Lucy looks down ashamed, “I know. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you then, but please let me be now.”

“I’ll try,” Katherine offers. 

“It hurts me to see how close you and Betsy are, and I’m not close to either of you.” 

“Lucy, from day one you’ve been wrapped around mom and dad as tightly as you could be. You didn’t leave much slack for either of us to be close to you,” Katherine admits.

“Well I am here now! And I want to be a part of your life.”   
“I appreciate that,” Katherine smiles. 

“If you’d be willing, I’d like to know why you're so dedicated to this Ash guy. Like is he super dreamy or something?” 

“I mean he is very handsome, but that has nothing to do with why I’m trying to help him.” 

“What’s going on then? Also, when you say handsome how handsome do you mean?” 

“I admit at first it was just kind of that self destructive curiosity thing kicking in, but he’s been able to prove to me that he’s not lying.” She avoids the second question. 

“Listen, if you say he can prove it I believe you. But why haven’t you guys told Dad?” 

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” she explains. 

“How?” 

“If it’s too complicated for me to tell Dad, the one man who could clear things up, why would I be able to tell you?”

“I don’t know, to get it off your chest or something?” 

“Trust me, it would not make my life easier to try to explain this to other people.” 

“Okay, fine. I won’t pry anymore,” Lucy concedes. “But you’ll have to trust someone eventually.” 

Katherine has to admit it feels so much better to be on speaking terms with her sister, but she’s still not sure how much she can trust Lucy. In the past trusting her leads to even more trouble. Lucy’s first instinct in all unsavory situations is to turn the problem over to an authority figure. Katherine could see herself winding up in a mental hospital if Lucy didn’t believe her. She’s half expecting to wind up there anyway before this is all finished. She has a sneaking suspicion things were never going to return to “normal.” 


	5. Lilith, The Mother of Lust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash teaches Katherine how the chainsaw arm works.

As promised, Katherine made it to the hotel early the next morning. She finds Ash sitting on the broken down bench outside his room eating a bag of chips while wearing the gray sweats he received at the hospital and a white shirt. He looks troubled until he sees her, and his face lights up. She greets him with a kiss on the cheek, then sits down beside him. 

“Did you sleep well?” she asks. 

“Not a single bit,” he answers. 

She leans against him, “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s all good,” he kisses the top of her head. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”

“So, I do have another question.” 

Ash groans, “Your questions always seem to lead to trouble.” 

“Oh come on, I’m allowed to ask questions considering everything you’ve told me.” 

“I’m not much of a teacher, Kat. I don’t know shit about these things except how to kill them.” 

Her mind is still a flurry of questions. She knows there’s likely a limit to the things he’d want to talk about no matter how curious she is. For example having to chop up his girlfriend and friends is likely a completely off limits topic. 

“Just tell me how the chainsaw arm thing works,” she suggests. 

His face lights up. Even before the Evil Dead attacked, Ash was never one to turn down an opportunity to brag. He smirks at her, “Oh, you wanna see that huh?” 

“Yes,” she stands up. “I’ve been curious about it.” 

He stands up as well and takes her hand. “Alright, I’ll show you the ol’ chainsaw. I’m gonna warn you though, it may end this whole ‘taking it slow’ thing you got going on.”

They start back towards his room hand in hand. The morning sun blazes on the bare skin of her legs. 

“Why is that?” 

“Ladies can’t resist a man with a chainsaw hand,” he says with a suggestive wink. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’ll see.” 

Katherine sits cross legged in the middle of the bed while Ash fishes the chainsaw out of the chest. He stands at the edge of the bed so that she could watch him assemble everything. The first thing he does is take out a cylindrical piece of metal with a type of padding lining the inside.

“Now pay attention, baby. This is an Ash Williams specialty. It’s one of a kind,” he brags. 

“I’m watching,” she assures him. 

“This part goes over the wrist,” he slides the cuff on. “Then it latches into the chainsaw to create a chainsaw hand.” He latches the two together before bulling out what looks like a belt clip. “This little guy latches to my belt so I can rev the chainsaw up even if I’ve got something in my hand.” 

“That is very impressive,” she praises him. 

He turns a light shade of pink, “Yeah I guess it is.” He unlatches the chainsaw and turns away from so he can place it back in the chest. 

Katherine looks down at her hands. There was an uneasy feeling settling into her stomach. For the first time she begins to look at this situation as something other than just a mystery to solve. Ash seems so convinced this evil is gone, never to be seen or heard from again. Yet all it would take was someone finding the book and reciting the words, and she wouldn’t know how to defend herself. There are many things still uncertain about the situation. She can’t stop herself from being afraid of what could happen. She feels Ash’s weight shift the bed next to her as he lies on his side, using his elbow to prop himself up. 

“What’s on your mind?” He asks as he reaches up to gently tug on one of her curls so she has to look at him. 

“I don’t know what I would do if what happened to you happened to me. Or if it happens to us. I don’t know that I could be like you and just adapt.” 

“Listen, Kat, I was just a fucking college student trying to go party in a cabin with my friends and get laid,” he sighs. “It’s not easy to know how you’ll react to something like that.” 

“But I want to at least know I wouldn’t just crumble and let the evil win,” she insists. 

Ash feels a pang of guilt about having ever told her. He is reminded again that if it weren’t for him she would be living a normal life. She would be working a summer job, maybe hanging out with some friends. Instead she’s in a sleazy hotel with a man she barely knows, afraid of an evil that she didn’t know existed three days ago. He felt the need to comfort her, to promise to protect her. He’s fancied himself a hero so much, he figures it’s time to start acting like one. 

“It’s not coming back, Katherine. I promise,” he brings her hand to his mouth to place a soft kiss on her wrist. “You’re gonna be fine. Besides, you’ve got me.” 

“But what if something happens and then I don’t have you and they come back?” 

Ash’s eyebrows furrowed together and he couldn’t bring himself to look in her eyes anymore. He’d never successfully saved anyone other than himself, not really. He could promise all day long that he could protect her, but what if the reality of the situation is that he can’t? 

“I think I should leave,” Katherine whispers. 

“No, please don’t,” Ash holds her hand against his chest, “Don’t leave.” 

“Ash-,” 

“Please don’t leave, you just got here.” 

She sighs, “I don’t know what to do. How do I go about my life as though I don’t know about them? How do I stop my father from trying to build a murder case against you when I can’t even prove that you didn’t kill them because-” 

“Technically I did,” Ash finishes. 

“Actually I was going to because you didn’t want to show anyone else the book.”

“That too,” he agrees.

A knock on the door draws their attention away from one another. Ash is up from the bed and retrieving the shotgun in just a few seconds. He carefully approaches the window, and pulls the curtain back enough to peak outside. 

“Hey, Kat, there’s a girl standing outside the door who looks suspiciously like you,” he says.

Katherine goes to the window, she lets out a gasp when she sees Betsy. She didn’t understand how the girl even got to the hotel considering she didn’t have a car. 

“Betsy, what are you doing here?” She asks while she pulls Betsy into the room. 

“We followed you when you left this morning,” she explains. “We wanted to know where you’ve been disappearing to and we were pretty sure it wasn’t hiking.” 

“Who is we?” Ash asks with his eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

“Me and Lucy,” Betsy says bashfully. 

“Oh geez,” Katherine plants her palm on her forehead while letting out an exasperated sigh. “I should’ve fucking known.” 

Ash arches an eyebrow, “Who are these girls, Katherine? What have you told them?” 

“They’re my sisters.” 

Another knock on the door, and Katherine opens it up to see Lucy. She pushes her way inside without saying anything. 

“So, we want answers now,” Lucy demands. She has her arms crossed over her chest with her lips pursed together. Katherine imagines this is why kindergartners cry when placed in Lucy’s homeroom class. 

Ash laughs, “You don’t make the demand in my sleazy motel room, sweetie.” 

“You don’t get to drag my sister into a bunch of bullshit, and then alienate her from everyone.” 

“You don’t get to come in here and act like you know anything about your sister when she’s told me plenty about you pushing her away.” 

Katherine stands between them, not pleased with either of their behavior. She places a hand on Ash’s chest and a hand on Lucy’s shoulder. 

“And neither of you get to talk about me as if I’m not here.” 

They both back away to opposite sides of the room. Ash keeps close to Katherine while Lucy stands by the window. 

“Listen, we’re prepared to offer our full support and help,” Betsy explains. “We just need to know exactly what we’re dealing with.” 

“Aw, how thoughtful of you sweetheart but I’ve got this,” Ash chides. 

Katherine turns around with those blue eyes widened and sad. The same desperate feeling Ash has had ever since he stumbled out of the cabin the first time reflects in her eyes. She begs without having to say a single word. Ash lets out a groan before walking over to the chest. To Katherine’s surprise he retrieves the book. He tosses it on the floor between Betsy and Lucy. Both women squeal and back away from the grotesque book. 

“You want proof? This is the best I can offer,” Ash says to them before he turns to Katherine. “If you want them to know, you get to explain it to them.” 

He pushes through the small bedroom to the door, and leaves the three women in an awkward silence. Katherine moves to pick up the book, and sets it down on the nightstand.

“He seems lovely,” Lucy quips. 

“Well, you guys did just show up out of nowhere. You had no right to follow me,” Katherine retorts. 

“Listen, you guys can fight all you want later. I just want some damn answers,” Betsy says. 

Katherine sighs, “This book is called the Necronomicon. It summons demons.” 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Lucy asks, feeling more and more apprehensive. 

“It has everything to do with,” Katherine says. She tells the story Ash had told her back at the hospital. She explains how one by one his friends were possessed and he had no choice but to kill them. She tries her best to explain how Ash spent a year in medieval times before being sent back home. The time travel was admittedly the most difficult part to get through. Betsy looks like she’s convinced, but Lucy definitely isn’t. 

“I’m almost insulted you expect me to believe that,” Lucy says after Katherine has finished. 

“It’s the truth. You don’t have to believe it, but there it is.” 

“Well, if you’re so convinced why don’t we open this book up right now and summon something right now,” Lucy says.

She strolls over to the bed, and opens the book. Katherine hears the static whisper she heard in the woods, surprised when it doesn’t seem like anyone else does. She looks at the page Lucy has opened to, and sees the same vivacious black figure she had seen in the woods. Katherine tries to take the book away from her. Her heart pounding as she reaches for it and Lucy pulls it away. Betsy begs Lucy not to do it. For her sister’s not to fight. 

“She looks like fun, how do we get her out?” Lucy scans over the page, mumbling as she does so. 

“Lucy, stop!” Katherine yells as Lucy begins to chant words she doesn’t understand.

She thinks of it as nonsense. She sees the lights flickering and the breeze suddenly filling the room. She lets out a laugh. 

“How did the two of you manage to do that? What a nice touch!” She exclaims as Katherine still tries to pry the book away from her. 

Lucy is taller and able to move in just the right way to keep it out of Katherine’s reach. Betsy runs out of the room to try and find Ash at the panicked behest of Katherine. The light continues flickering, and only when the light bulb blows after Lucy recites the final word does she finally drop the book back onto the bed. Everything goes eerily still. 

“See,” she gestures to the empty room. “No demons.”   
“You’re really so stubborn that you would convince yourself that we created a breeze and blew out a light bulb?” 

“Haunted houses do it all the time,” Lucy says matter of factly. 

The sound of crashing glass fills the room. The wind begins blasting throughout the room, scattering the contents of the bedroom around the room. Ash busted the door open, with his shotgun in hand. All of the lights in the room go off, and a strangled growl fills the room. Betsy screams. 

“I was gone for five minutes,” Ash groans. 

The lamp which had been knocked on the floor comes on despite not being plugged into the wall. The light shines on the bed, revealing the tall form of the demon. Its body was curved like a beautiful woman, but it’s skin was black and smooth like onyx. The light caught in it in just the right way to emphasize the swell of her hips. It snarls with jagged teeth dripping with saliva. 

“So much tender flesh in this room,” it’s voice was deep and growly yet feminine. “So much yearning and lust!” 

Ash shoots at it, but in one swift motion it’s across the room in front of Lucy who lets out a blood curdling scream. The demon reaches out and grabs Lucy by the throat. She slams Lucy onto the ground and gets on top of her. Lucy continues to scream until the demon shoves one of her long clawed hands down her throat. She yanks her hand out, and holds Lucy's vocal cords in the palm of her hand. Lucy begins convulsing as blood begins to gurgle out of her mouth. The demon leans down and takes a bite out of her neck. Katherine picks up a chair and throws it at the demon. Its red eyes glowed as they bore into her. Blood now drips from the demon's chin now making her sharp chin more noticeable. She leaves Lucy on the ground now drowning her own blood. 

A long finger with a pointed claw comes to rest under Katherine’s chin. Katherine can do nothing but whimper as Lilith leans in and presses her cold lips against Katherine’s. As soon as the contact was made images began flashing through Katherine’s mind. Naked bodies writhing together soaked in sweat and blood. Women moaning and crying. She saw herself straddling a faceless man before stretching her jaws open and eating the man’s head like a mantis. The demon moans in delight. 

“I will make quite a feast with you indeed,” she whispers to Katherine as she pulls away. 

“Get your hands off my girl,” Ash says. He needs to get everyone out of the way before he can risk another shot. The demon lets out a high pitched laugh. It turns to Ash with a smile stretching across it’s smooth skin. 

“Your girl? Ha! Every girl you’ve ever loved has died by your hand. You are a pathetic excuse of a man.”  
“And you’re a pathetic demon,” Ash taunts. 

“I am Lilith, mother of lust! I will make you watch as I feast on her without you having ever experienced the splendor of her flesh. Then, I will eat you as dessert.” The creature drags out it’s syllables, emphasizing its desire. Lilith’s monologue gave Betsy enough time to retrieve the axe from the chest. 

“Get away from my sister,” Betsy screams as she runs towards the demon. She swings the axe against Lilith’s head. The demon lets out a debilitating screech that sends a crack through the mirror and the she disintegrates into a cloud of black smoke.

Betsy runs over to Lucy’s now lifeless body, but Ash takes her by the arm and pulls her away. 

“We don’t know that she’s gonna stay dead,” he explains. His mind already shifted back into survivor mode, and all sense of tenderness was lost. 

“Is that thing gone?” Katherine asks. 

“We can only hope so,” Ash adds. “Either way, we all need to consider getting out of this town. I’ll get this cleaned up, and you guys go gather things you’ll need or want to take with you.”

“Why?” Betsy asks

“Because, none of us ever need to see this town again,” Ash answers. 

Katherine is leaned against the wall, her heart pounds in her chest. The demon Lilith had read her thoughts, picked through her deepest desires. She could feel it. Ash comes to her, and takes her by the shoulders. He shakes her slightly to get her attention. 

“Hey, Kat, did you hear me? We’ve all gotta get the hell out of here.” 

“What about Lucy?” Katherine asks, disregarding Ash’s insistence on leaving for the time being. 

“I’ll take care of that,” he says. 

“Can’t we take her back home so Mom and Dad can have her buried?” Katherine asks with tears filling her eyes. 

Ash pulls her against his chest soothing her hair as she begins sobbing, “I’m sorry, Katherine. I’m so sorry. I don’t want to tell you what’s gonna have to happen now, but I’ve got to make sure she can’t come back as a deadite.” 

Katherine’s sobs become deeper. She clings onto him and she feels Betsy come rest a hand on her shoulder. 

“I think Lucy would understand what we have to do,” Betsy attempts to make the situation better. 

Katherine pulls away from Ash, and wipes her eyes. She knows she has to remain pragmatic now no matter how much it hurts. 


	6. Dangerous Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine attempts to come to terms with Lucy's death. However, she finds herself dealing with an unexpected distraction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than the last few. This was done on purpose as I didn't want to include too much pertinent information in case some of you wanted to skip it due to it's sexually violent nature.

Katherine parks her car down the street from her house, and walks the rest of the way. She’s not sure if this is actually the correct move, but she’s seen it done in movies a lot so she takes a chance. It only takes about five minutes to climb the big oak tree in the front yard, after all she’s been climbing this tree since she was six years old. She imagines she knows every knot and branch like the back of her hand. It has one limb which is angled just right for her to shimmy onto the roof of the house to go in through her bedroom window. 

Once in her bedroom, it’s hard to know exactly what to pack for her and Betsy. Clothes seem relatively obvious, and light toiletries. Being on the run is not a life she ever imagined or planned for. For the first time in her life, she comes to wish she could stay in Morristown with her parents forever. She would do anything to change the way things have gone. Her eyes scan the room focusing on pictures and drawings. It’s hard to walk away from all the collected memories in this one shared bedroom.

She wonders how Ash does it; move on with his life with no traces of who he may have been before. That’s what she has to learn now. It would be hard, ceasing to exist. No more school, no more future. Just running away. She hates it already. 

She pauses when her eyes fall on a picture sitting on her nightstand. All three sisters sit on the front porch swing wearing matching dresses. Lucy’s blonde hair shines brilliantly in the sunlight, her smile bright. Her freckles, the only physical trait shared between Lucy and Katherine, are prominent due to how much time they spent in the sun that summer. It was the summer they had gone to the beach in South Carolina. Lucy had met a boy there, and she was devastated when he never called. Betsy sits between her older sisters, her head leaned on Katherine’s shoulder with a cheesy smile on her face. It hurts Katherine to look at herself so carefree and young. Her dark curls were held in a bun. She remembers how much of a fight it was for her mother to even get the picture taken because Betsy had made a crude joke which made Lucy blush. Everytime it stopped being funny they laughed at it some more. It was a wonderful summer. She shakes her head, trying to dismiss the nostalgia. 

The room grows dark suddenly, and Katherine picks up the entrancing smell of roses. She tries to ignore it, but finds herself slowing in her movements. She continues throwing items into the suitcase. 

Goosebumps prickle her skin as she slowly turns around to see Lilith standing in front of the bedroom door. The demon offers a jagged smile and her eyes glow red as she makes her way across the room. Katherine’s breathing becomes more shallow, and she freezes in fear as Lilith reaches out to her. 

“You, my child, will become my greatest success. You will be a conduit of lust. Together we will satiate my desire for flesh,” Lilith growls. 

“Please don’t,” Katherine begs. As Lilith leans in closer Katherine realizes begging is futile. Tears sting her eyes as she plucks up the courage to ask the obvious question, “Are you going to kill me?” 

Lilith laughs that deep smoky laugh, “What a waste that would be, child. You’re a hurricane of sexuality, and I am starving. Together we will be unstoppable. Don’t get me wrong, when I’ve had my fun I will feast on your soul, but I will savor it.” 

“Please don’t do this,” Katherine sobs. 

The demon presses her lips to Katherines as she had in the hotel room, and again Katherine’s mind swirls with twisted images. She now understands that these images are Lilith’s desires. Feasting upon a sweating man at his moment of climax. Nibbling on a delicious vixen. Katherine feels the demon's cold hands begin to touch her. Despite the fear pumping in her heart she still feels her core begin to throb. It’s a terrifying yet delightful feeling swirling in the pit of her stomach. She feels as though her body is weighted down to the floor. She wills her arms to move, to fight but she can’t. Every sexual desire Katherine has ever had presses to the forefront of her thoughts. She realizes at some point that Lilith is feeding on these thoughts. She watches with hooded eyes as Lilith begins pulling at her clothes. She feels her control slipping as each stroke of Lilith’s hands pushes more and more of the soul out of her body. She pushes Katherine onto the bed and buries her face between her thighs. 

“Ah, yes, this will be fun indeed,” is the last thing Katherine hear’s Lilith say before completely becoming possessed. 

Lilith admires her new host in the mirror after stripping her new body down. She can hear Katherine’s soul crying, and it’s music to her ears. She fishes a black dress out of Katherine’s closet and slips it onto her body. She lets out a satisfied sigh as she sees the way her new body looks in the form fitting dress. She’s thin, but still holds curves in her hips and thighs. With the plump breast on this host it's no wonder Ash had desired her so much. Ah, sweet Ash. The dumb boy who refuses to die. The very center of Katherine’s desire and now Lilith’s. 

“You haven’t been using this body correctly,” Lilith growls before starting back out the window the way Katherine had arrived. Katherine is present, but she’s trapped. Lilith likes it this way. She wants the dumb girl to be aware of every act her body will commit while Lilith is in control. 

“I don’t have the energy to take on Ash right now,” Lilith whines. “Perhaps we should try Jonathan. He’ll be easy, and it will replenish our energy.” 

It only takes a few minutes to walk to Jonathan’s house. As soon as Jonathan opens the door his eyes widen at the sight of Katherine wearing such a tight dress. Lilith had to suppress her moans of delight as she began to smell the desire permeating from him. She could see in Katherine’s memories how much Jonathan had desired their reunification. 

“Hello, darling,” Lilith purs. 

Jonathan smiles, “Hey there Kit-Kat. What brings you here today?” 

“You,” Lilith smiles, “Of course.” 

Jonathan is eager to invite her inside, and is ecstatic when she accepts the invitation. He leads her into the kitchen, where he offers to make her a drink. In his mind he had to seduce her still. Lilith has other plans. 

“I’ve been thinking about you,” Lilith says. “I just want you.” 

She presses against him, and his arms wrap around her waist instinctively. He doesn’t stop to consider how out of character this is for Katherine. The fact that their last conversation had been filled with resentment on her part isn’t important to him. It just feels so right to have Katherine pressed against him again. Lilith soaks in all of these feelings with the giddy hunger of a small child with candy. She kisses Jonathan deeply, and bites down on his bottom lip earning a moan. She can hear the blood pumping through his veins, concentrating on his erection which pressed against her thigh.

In the recesses of Katherine’s memories she sees all the ways Katherine used to pleasure him. Lilith however is not an eager to please teenager. She pushes him on to the kitchen floor, and pulls open his pants. 

“Woah, woah, Kat. Don’t you wanna fool around a little bit first,” he asked. 

Lilith lets out a laugh, “Don’t be silly, I’ve been waiting on this all day.” 

She adjusts Jonathan’s length to her entrance, and sinks onto his cock. He lets out a series of groans and almost whimpers. Katherine had always been warm and tight when they were in high school, but he never in his wildest dreams imagined her feeling so good. Lilith’s hips rock against him, setting a merciless rhythm. It takes little time for her to be able to sense the sweet release building inside of him. She longs to take a bite out of his beating heart, but she needs to wait. It will taste so much better in that moment when he releases. Jonathan attempts to slow her down, but she pushes his hands away. 

“This is all about you,” she purrs. 

“But I can’t, not inside you.” 

“Katherine’s been on the pill since she left town,” she explains. 

Jonathan is so caught up in being with Katherine he doesn’t notice her slip up. Instead he relinquishes any attempt at control. His back arches and his eyes squeeze shut as he begins to cum. It’s in that moment that Lilith sinks her teeth into his chest, eager to taste his heart. She kills him before his fear has time to make him taste weak. She savors his flesh despite the fact she doesn’t need it to sustain herself. She is sustained by feeding on their desires and the torment that brings to their souls. There’s a joy in killing them she can’t resist. The way a human tastes in that moment of euphoria makes them addicting. What would Lilith, the mother of lust and succubi be without engaging in a bit of decadence now and then? 

She goes to the bathroom to get cleaned up, relishing in the torment Katherine’s soul feels over the actions the body committed. Lilith knows this feeling will only get worse for poor Katherine as she now has enough energy to take on Ash. 

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
